Saturday, October 7, 2017

tiger balm

2 oz Brugal Añejo Rum (Diplomatico Añejo)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Demerara Syrup (2:1)
1/4 oz Fernet Branca Menta

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a mint leaf.
Two Saturdays ago, I returned to my 2009 copy of Rogue Cocktails to see I missed any recipes. There, I spotted the Tiger Balm, an herbal-minty Daiquiri variation crafted by Kirk Estopinal of New Orleans' The Cure. The drink also appears in the 2011 edition of the book that got renamed Beta Cocktails due to legal issues with a certain West Coast distillery, and its use of Fernet Branca Menta seemed to match my memory of Tiger Balm ointment's aroma. In the glass, the Tiger Balm gave forth caramel, mint, and menthol notes to the nose. Next, a rich caramel balanced by lime sip transitioned into rum on the swallow with a menthol finish. Overall, the Tiger Balm perfectly soothed my itch for a Daiquiri.

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